Transport and Logistics Bureau issues development blueprint stating city needs efficient and cost-effective transport modes
Government will establish platform to ‘make good use of big data’ to reduce logistics costs, bureau says
Hong Kong plans to set up a logistics data platform that will connect key transport hubs such as the city’s airport and docks to enable information sharing and improve the flow of cargo and capital, before expanding the network across the border.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau on Tuesday issued a blueprint on logistics development, which stated that the city needed efficient and cost-effective transport modes, as well as sustainable cross-border e-commerce.
The bureau said the government would develop and connect different logistics data platforms locally and regionally to boost competitiveness and “make good use of big data to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the supply chain and reduce logistics costs”. The networks include the airport’s cargo data platform and port community system.
The platform will be subject to a study in 2024 led by the bureau aimed at positioning the city as a global trade and financial hub.
It will also be expanded to cover the Greater Bay Area, Beijing’s initiative to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland China cities, all with a combined population of 86 million, into an economic powerhouse.
Analysts have raised questions whether the platform will make Hong Kong more competitive, on the back of rapidly-developing logistics capabilities across the border.
To explore new sources of growth, the Hong Kong government said it would also expand its reach to countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and those along the trade routes of the Belt and Road Initiative, the central government’s plan to link economies into a China-centred trading network.